Friday, July 31, 2015

I can’t recall exactly how long I’ve wanted to write a book – a certain book
in particular. It’s been at least fifteen years. When we had our first Custodial
Reunion a few years ago, I even took down some contact info as potential
interviews. Working full time and having the responsibilities of a young family
didn’t leave a lot of time to research and write.

Enter in my fellow jani, Lynn. The friendship we developed while working
together in Disneyland Custodial has survived my becoming “apart of the magic”
and his also doing the same and moving to Utah.

Lynn took the initiative in creating and hosting a podcast, The Sweep Spot,
which is focused on Disneyland history, Disneyland Custodial, and also has
covered Disneyland news and current events. He had me on as a recurring guest
co-host as he went through two regular co-hosts. Then I became the
regular co-host.

Now having some perspective distance from our time as cast members, we also
started collaborating on a book.

Lynn explored how to get a book published.

Getting some input from podcast guests and through private communications
with some of our former coworkers to infuse into what we were writing about our
own personal experiences, we cobbled together a book that’s over 450
pages.

It’s an UNAUTHORIZED, honest, and affectionate
tribute to the men and women we worked with and those who came before and those
who’ve come after – the people who’ve kept the original Magic Kingdom clean. The
book is partly our memoirs as well as a detailed look at how the world famous
Disneyland Custodial team operates.

There are now many books on Disneyland, but no other book is like this. We
share with you things you can’t find anywhere else.

As of this writing, the 2015 D23 Expo in Anaheim is ahead of us. We’ll be
there Friday, August 14 through Sunday, August 16. Bring your cash or credit
card to buy a softcover, or if you already have your softcover, I will autograph
that copy, too.

If you want to order the softcover through Amazon, be sure you're getting it through The Sweep Spot as a seller, so you can get it more quickly, complete with autograph.\

Saturday, February 22, 2014

When I hired into the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works on May 1, 2000, Donna Guyovich was the senior staff member of the Public Affairs and Special Services Section of the Personnel and Public Affairs Division. Jean Granucci was the Section Head, Ida Ramos was Division Chief, Chuck Adams was the Deputy Director above Ida, and Harry Stone was Director, only the second person to hold that title. I had been brought on to fill the spot created by the retirement of Cindy Adams. Also on the team were Melinda and Natalie, and making everything run smoothly through secretarial excellence were Araceli, Ana, and Jan. Araceli and Ana were working directly for Ida, but since we were all sitting in the same part of the 12th Floor, they were always quick to help us out, just as Jan was quick to back them up. The Classification Section of PPA was there, too.

I was surrounded by women in a Department that was traditionally male-dominated. The Director, Chief Deputy, Assistant Directors, and Deputy Directors were all men, the woman who'd broken the glass ceiling having retired. Considering Public Works consisted of civil engineers and laborers (think road work, flood control, building inspectors, waterworks), two kinds of work that were traditionally male-dominated, it wasn't surprising. Of course, at Disneyland, I had worked under several women.

Jean was already heading for retirement, less than 10 months from my first day. For her party we ended up putting together a video in which we acted out parts, recounting Jean's career. Donna was great, but then what would you expect from someone who was a member of the Screen Actors Guild by age 5?

Donna had been the Public Information Officer for DPW, and since she knew just about everything and everyone, that was appropriate. She had been there her entire adult life, having started work with the Flood Control District, which merged with other County operations to become Public Works in 1985.

Before Jean retired, Donna transferred many PIO responsibilities to me. The day Jean cleaned out her office, Donna moved in, and Donna was promoted into Jean's position. With Jean's retirement and Donna's promotion, we had a vacancy. There were other staffing changes, too. For example, Melinda moved to another Division. I can think of a couple of ladies who came and went. All this time later, I am still friends with True and Marina, who had been my peers in that section.

Jean and Donna had very different personalities but had been friends since the day Jean hired in, a year after Donna. Donna's leadership continued most of the tone and practices I had experienced under Jean. Of course, Ida was still Division Chief. Any Division Chief, anyone in Administration, whether Deputy Director or Director, could and would stroll in at any time. We had nothing to hide and we welcomed the informal contact. Donna would keep the Director's favorite light handful-snack stocked at her door to encourage visits. And, at any time, we were also welcome to walk over to Administration to talk with the secretaries, and if available, the Director or anyone else.

It was a great time, at least for me. Donna adored me. Everyone knew it. That came in handy on one day in particular. We had a staff meeting in Donna's office. Donna was sitting behind her desk, and the four of us were sitting in chairs facing her desk or to the side. I was struggling to stay awake. There was a period I would routinely be working late at the office, and I think that was already going on. Since we were on a 4-day schedule, the days were already long. Thankfully, I lived a short drive away. In addition, I was working at Disneyland on my weekends, usually all three days. There were also writing projects, and I was a single man in those days, so there was associated socializing. Bottom line: I was tired. So there we were in Donna's office, and I'm struggling to stay awake as Donna was talking, because I was used to being at a computer screen and/or on the phone, multitasking, which never let me have a moment to feel tired.

Then, I noticed silence.

Next, I realized my eyes were closed.

I open my eyes, lifted my head, and I saw four women, including Donna, staring at me. Natalie's expression was especially memorable.

"Am I that boring?" asked Donna, feigning hurt.

I assured her it had nothing to do with the importance of her words.

Then there were the times I'd go out for lunch with my peers. DPW HQ was surrounded by places to grab lunch, some within walking distance, some requiring a drive. We officially had 45 minutes for lunch. One day, we had been delayed in getting back, and my peers remarked that they'd avoid any negative fallout from Donna for taking a long lunch because they were returning with me.

Donna was known to take a long lunch or two herself, especially in conjunction with Ida. After all of the years they had put in, and being hard workers in general, I figured they had earned a little wiggle room on the length of their lunches, so there was no resentment on my part. There was one time in particular my peers had to drive something time-sensitive to them to be signed. The Barkley at the northeast corner of Fremont and Huntington in my hometown of South Pasadena was the favorite lunchtime hangout for the team of Donna and Ida. There were times we'd be out and about, such as for an event, and on the way back to the office Donna would pull into a restaurant and buy us lunch.

Donna was the kind of person who'd pay to treat her dog's cancer rather than give up and put her down. She was the kind of boss who, if she was happy with your performance, would be a Momma Bear advocate. She was also the kind of long-timer who knew where the bodies were buried.

It was in Donna's office that I watched the attacks of 9/11/2001 continue to unfold, along with my coworkers, before our Director made the decision to evacuate our building and send everyone home.

Donna was passionate about some of the annual events we put together, such as Employee Recognition and the headquarters Holiday Party, complete with the very popular raffle. To me, her enthusiasm helped offset some of the stress of pulling off the events.

Working under Donna was a special moment of time in my life. Things changed a lot more after Donna retired. The structure at the office changed, with our section becoming part of the Public Relations Group, independent of what was, by then, the Human Resources Division.

Donna became a widow last year. Her husband, Ray, was significantly older than her and she cared for him as his health declined. However, she had her own health issues to deal with, and on January 23, 2014, Donna passed away in her sleep at the too-young age of 68.

On February 7, many of us gathered to remember Donna in a service. Jean and Ida both spoke and did very well. After the service, we met back at Donna's desert home to share some fond memories, and, true to the spirit of Donna, some good food.

This picture is of Ida and Donna at my wedding.

Donna was the second of many direct bosses I've had at the County. That alone would mean she was likely to have a lasting influence on me, but throw in her strong personality, her attention to detail, and her respect for legacy, and I couldn't forget her if I tried.

So thank you, Donna, for what you passed on to me and for the good times we shared. I stayed awake during your memorial service. I can't say I stay dry-eyed.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

I originally posted this back in February of 2010. Things have changed a bit, but my points are still valid. As the television show American Idol seeks to regain higher ratings and bring in new judges, they should serious consider Yankovic. Read on. -Ken

The Fox television show American Idol is reaching a critical stage. Original judge Paula Abdul left before the current season. Original judge Simon Cowell will be leaving after the current season – and who knows about the last original judge, Randy Jackson? The show, which has catapulted dozens of artist careers and generated crazy money through ad sales, music sales, and texting/call charges is getting stale and is in danger of dying sooner rather than later.

There is much speculation of who could be a new judge on the show.

I think the show should bring in “Weird Al” Yankovic as a permanent judge. I’m not kidding. I know – funny music doesn’t get the respect it once did; as a result, some people dismiss Yankovic or mistakenly think he’s not all that talented. But they are wrong. Very, very wrong.

What is the job of an American Idol judge? From what I can tell, the judges must:

1. Be able to distinguish those who have singing talent and pop star potential from those who don’t – from a pool of 16-28 year-olds.

2. Be entertaining on both heavily edited and live television, mostly through comments, facial expressions, and body language.

3. Be able to offer constructive criticism and mentoring to aspiring contestants and actual contestants.
I think it is safe to say that Yankovic can do all three well.

Here are specific reasons why Yankovic would be good on AI.

1. He’s multitalented. He has lasted for almost three decades so far as a popular recording artist, songwriter, concert performer, and musician, also working as a film and television actor and writer, and a director of music videos. He does more than his well-known direct parodies of current hit songs (which he does very well). He also does original songs, many of which are done in the style of well-known artists. He also has experience in taking hit songs and translating them into another style (see his polkas), as some AI contestants attempt during their weekly performances.

2. He has closely studied pop music artists for decades. To be good at his main bread and butter, he’s had to scrutinize music artists, and carefully evaluate what they do and how they do it.

3. He recognizes talent in others. Ever see/hear his band at work? In his movie “UHF”, Michael Richards was cast pre-Seinfeld and Fran Drescher was cast pre-The Nanny. Enough said.

4. He has proven staying power. He has outlasted many of the acts he’s parodied.

5. He knows the music industry, and what is like to struggle through recording and touring and struggling for respect. He has not only had to deal with his own record company, but the record companies of acts he has parodied.

6. He is respectful of other artists. For example, he will not sell a direct parody without an artist’s blessing, even though he legally could. His parodies are more like a tribute instead of a mean-spirited dig.

7. He appreciates different musical styles and genres. Just look at the music he records and performs!

8. He is used to dealing with crazy people (record execs, artists, fans), so he can handle the crazies that show up during auditions.

9. He’s funny.

10. He’s intelligent.

11. He’s fun to watch. His facial expressions, body language, and quick wit would work well on AI. (He would also be good in interviews promoting the show.)

12. He’s family-friendly, both in his material and personal life. You won’t read about Yankovic driving drunk with a car full of strippers.

13. He has a daughter who is growing into the target audience of AI.

14. He has a highly professional, perfectionist work ethic.

15. He goes out of his way to be fan-friendly.

If not AI, then The X Factor or some other show should get Yankovic as a judge. I am NOT kidding.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

I’ve been a fan of "Weird Al" Yankovic (WAY) for almost my whole life. And being the obsessively analytical guy that I am, I have analyzed his music many ways. His Al-bums typically have a polka-arrangement medley of recent hit songs (interesting how funny the actual lyrics of "serious" songs can be, especially with the WAY treatment) and the rest of the songs are an even balance of direct parodies of hits and original compositions by Yankovic, though often meticulously done the style of a famous musical act.

Some common themes of Al's lyrics, either for the direct parodies or the originals, have been...

I perceive that there has been a change in that last theme since Al finally got married (to a very lovely woman) and became Daddy to a girl.

Recently (7/25/2011), the Grammy Museum hosted Yankovic for an interview, followed by Q & A, and my wife and I were blessed to attend. Although this wasn't the usual WAY public event (concert or al-bum signing), the typical Al crowd, albeit only 200 of us, was there: people of very shape, size, color, age, style, and I'd guess religion, too. I wanted to ask him a question I haven't heard him answer before, and I think I succeeded in asking him something he hadn't even considered before – whether or not he perceived a change in his lyrics since marrying.

At first, Al thought maybe I was accusing him of going soft, because he mentioned that he's always been fairly family-friendly. But that wasn't what I was talking about.

Here's what I perceive. Sometimes the female characters in his songs were the ones who were dysfunctional or horrible people, and sometimes the males were. Since getting married, it has only been the males.

Let's go chronologically through the relevant songs...

Al-bum: "Weird Al" Yankovic

Song: "Such a Groovy Guy"
The song is about a guy who thinks he's all that, and he treats women like crap.

Al-bum: "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D

Songs: None relevant.

Al-bum: Dare to be Stupid

Song: "One More Minute"
About all of the painful/irritating things he would rather do than spend one more minute with the woman who has dumped him.

Song: "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch"
Women want nothing other than men to treat them to lunch.

Al-bum: Polka Party!

Song: "Good Enough for Now"
He tells her that he's not all that into her, but he'll use her for now.

Bad Hair Day is my ultimate example, as there are two songs strongly and clearly about lousy women and none about the man being bad. Dare to be Stupid is a close second, but Bad Hair Day is much stronger in this regard. Other songs that depict the female partner in a negative light are: "Alimony", "She Drives Like Crazy" (and there’s no counterbalance on UHF), and "My Baby's in Love with Eddie Vedder".

Contrast Bad Hair Day with Straight Outta Lynwood, which has three songs about the male partner being horrible, but, none about a female partner. It is noteworthy that he gives tribute to his daughter on the cover.

Now, the anomalies or exceptions would be the first, eponymous Al-bum, and Polka Party!, each of which have the one song about the bad male with none about a bad female. Off the Deep End has two bad male songs to the one bad female song, but the bad female in that song is homicidal.

I consider "She Never Told Me She Was a Mime", the one love song on Alapalooza, a wash.

Notice that since he married, there hasn't been a single song on any of his three Al-bums in which the woman has a problem; only the male.

This could be because when Al was a longtime bachelor, he (and his buddies) dealt with a lot of bad dates or difficult women, and that changed when he married. Now, the woman he loves has probably told him about some of the horrible dates and men she dealt with over the years. And as a father to a daughter, he's no doubt thought of what social scene his daughter is facing in the future.

Fortunately, WAY's songs as funnier than ever.

If anyone wants to pay me to lecture about subjects like this, I'm definitely open to making money.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

I am going to note again that this disclaimer applies to things written on this blog.

Once upon a time, Disneyland (Anaheim, California) had this big, flat parking lot in front of the theme park entrance. If you were spending the day there, this is where you would park (presuming you drove there). If you were dealing with a disability, you were able to park right there in front of the entrance of the park. If you were just coming in to buy tickets or something at the outside souvenir counter, you could come it and use the 15 (10?) minute parking without paying. Same thing applied if you were dropping someone off or picking them up.
It was very convenient.

But in order to expand Disneyand from a park/hotel into a... ***RESORT*** ...the parking lot had to go. It was repelaced with Disney's California Adventure, a theme park themed around California, which is now Disney California Adventure, a theme park themed around... Disney... stuff. Also, there's the (Disney's or Disney... not sure anymore) Grand Californian Hotel/Resort/Spa/Whatever and Downtown Disney, which has shops and restaurants and live performers... like the theme parks do... but it doesn't have rides or the admission prices.
A large parking structure and several outlying parking lots have replaced the Giant All Inclusive Parking Lot (where many Disney cast members parked, too).Now, if you're just dropping someone off or picking them up, you are presumably supposed to use the 15 Minute Parking Lot located along Harbor Boulevard, near where the entrance of the Giant All Inclusive Parking Lot used to be.But there's a problem.

At least as half of the instances I have tried to use that lot, it has been closed off with orange cones. It wasn't closed for the day... as evidenced by the vehicles already parked there. But it was closed at the moment in time I was able to pass by in the thick Harbor Boulevard mix of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. This means I (and anyone in the vehicle with me) wasted time, gas, added to our carbon footprints, and added to Anaheim Resort area traffic... needlessly.

My guess is that the lot is temporarily closed so as to note which cars are still there fifteen minutes after it was closed, so those vehicles can be issued tickets.I can't be sure, though, because apparently nobody is responsbile for the parking lot. I had long presumed Disney owned it. But Anaheim officers (police?) will be standing in there during the closures. When I've asked them, they have said it is Disney's responsibility... even though they are standing there... in unform. When I've asked Disneyland Guest Relations, I have been told it is the City of Anaheim's.
Ooookay...

I guess that means nobody owns the lot. Which would make it a great place for Disney enthusiasts to set up tents and squat, or maybe build a house. Or protest something or other, or advertise for a nearby gentleman's club. Bet you'd find out who owns the lot if you did any of those things!

This brings me to my ultimate point: Pretend that the lot doesn't exist.

If you are dropping someone off at the Resort, or picking someone up, I recommend clogging up the entrances to any of Disney's three hotels, the closest (and most expensive) being the Grand Californian. When you are approached by a friendly, helpful cast member (they are still Disney cast members, right? Or has that been outsourced), just let them know you are dropping someone off or picking them up. If they ask if you're checking in, say, "Not right now." It is the truth. If they notice you doing this on a regular basis, and ask you about it (has yet to happen to me), and they recommend the 15 Minute Lot, nod, don't argue. They don't make the rules, after all. Nod, and keep doing the same thing over and over again. Because if Disney really wanted people to use the 15 Minute Lot, they'd keep it open. They don't need to close it to do enforcement of the parking. I can think of three different ways to enforce the 15-minute limit off of the top of my head that have to be no more expensive than using a uniformed Anaheim officer.

You can also use Downtown Disney parking for dropping people off or picking people up, clogging those lots up and taking up cast member time, but the Grand Californian is closer, and a nicer atmosphere.

I'm not bothering to write directly to Disneyland about this. I know from past experience that if I rant about something online, enough people in power there will read it. Maybe Disneyland Resort Transportation and Parking is actually responsible for the 15 Minute Parking Lot, and maybe they will change tactics. Or give me a real explanation. I wouldn't be bothered as much about this whole thing if Disneyland was typically a poorly run operation. But it is usually a very well designed and operated place, and I like the Anaheim Resort upgrade in general. That's one reason why this matter irks me so much. It is an annoying, ugly blemish on an otherwise beautiful masterpiece. It shouldn't be an ordeal to drop someone off there, or pick someone up.

About Me

We married in December of 2004, our daughter was born in June of 2007, and our boy was born in August 2009. We live in Anaheim, California, like to make Disneyland visits, and have a dog who likes to be our guard.